Fitzpatrick’s SPLIT decisions
St Mirren CEO has never been quiet about top-six ambitions... and it looks set to pay off at last as the Premiership heads for its grand finale, finds Graeme Macpherson
ONE or two apologies ought to be coming Tony Fitzpatrick’s way should St Mirren clinch their place in the top six this weekend.
Fitzpatrick’s seemingly endless positivity when it comes to the club he has been associated with for more than half a century has made him an easy target for mocking.
How can a club that was in the Championship just three years ago and narrowly avoided relegation in each of the last two seasons believe they are good enough to finish among Scotland’s elite? Former manager Alan Stubbs went as far to say Fitzpatrick’s head was in the clouds for even suggesting it.
There will be a smile of quiet satisfaction, then, if St Mirren see off St Johnstone’s challenge to clinch that cherished berth but no talk of retribution or any “I told you so” gloating. Fitzpatrick is a better man than that.
As chief executive he now has the wherewithal to deliver that success but the source of his ambition stems from when he was club captain four decades ago, a period when St Mirren last scaled those heights. Nobody can convince Fitzpatrick that bringing back those days isn’t possible.
“I’ve always said St Mirren should be a top-six club since I first came back five years ago,” he says. “Words are easy and people have said that my head is in the clouds. I took a lot of stick about it and some of the comments were quite hurtful at times. But I was brought up with this club and the standards it set back then. I knew what the potential was. I wasn’t saying these things for the sake of it. It was because I knew what was possible.
“We’re serious about being a top-six team. And if we fall short this season, then it just means we’ll aim to do it next year. That’s always been the plan. But not just as a one-off, but a club that is established there.
“People look at where we’ve been in the last few seasons, down in the Championship and the rest, and wonder why I’m saying that. But I always felt it was possible. And if you don’t have those sorts of goals or targets…then what are you doing? In any industry you should always be looking at wha you can achieve next.
“But you have to also take the action to make it a reality. So we’ve brought in players who are top-six quality. The budget is there, we have an exciting young manager on a new contract and there are positive changes happening behind the scenes.
“We want to be a world-class business. We’ve been marketing ourselves into different countries and tying up partnerships with other clubs.
“And we’ve always spoken about the land around the stadium and the potential there for development. We want to tap into the whole potential of the club and see where we can take it.”
A conversation with Fitzpatrick is so uplifting that they should prescribe it on the NHS. He is particularly enthusiastic about youth development at a club that helped send John McGinn, Kenny McLean and Lewis Morgan on their way in the game.
The sight of 16 year-old Dylan Reid preparing to come on for his first-team debut against Rangers recently had Fitzpatrick virtually bouncing out of his Ibrox seat.
“We have to take care of the first-team squad of course but the big thing for us is the academy,” he confirmed.
“You look at Ethan Erhahon, Cammy MacPherson and Kyle McAllister who are all in the team just now. And all the ones in the past like McGinn, McLean, Morgan, Stevie Mallan and the rest.
“We always say to the young ones, ‘play 100 games for St Mirren and then you’ll be ready to go anywhere’. And when you see 16 year-old Dylan coming on for his debut then that to me is as important as any new signing or a victory.
“I hate seeing us lose but my spirits just lifted that day seeing him at the side of the park about to come on for his debut. That’s the lifeblood of the club. It gives you a strong foundation.
“Dylan is one we will try to get on a longer deal but you couldn’t start at a better club than St Mirren. Bayern Munich, Benfica and top English clubs all want to take him but he’s very level-headed.
“He knows what he wants and has a real determination and a strong mindset to do what it takes to become a top professional.”
St Mirren appear to be in relatively rude financial health despite a challenging season. That has allowed them to tie up manager Jim Goodwin and his backroom team on new deals and sign a higher calibre of player than had been previously possible.
Fitzpatrick admits none of that would have been possible without the contribution of the supporters who bought season tickets in far higher numbers than had been anticipated.
“The fans have not been through the door but they’ve backed us unbelievably. And that’s the only reason that we’ve coped over this past year.
“I thank the fans every day in my prayers because it means we’ve not had to cut player or staff wages.
“When Covid hit you start
We want to be a world-class business. We’ve been marketing ourselves in different countries
thinking about losing the income from 3500 season ticket holders and what that might mean. But incredibly they nearly all signed up knowing they might not get to come to a game but would help the club keep going and growing.
“We’ve thought about different ways to thank them for that. But I think the best thing is to build them a team they can be proud of, pay that wee bit extra to get in players who can take you to that next level.
“You think of Eamonn Brophy who was an international player just a few years ago. That sets out a mark to show the supporters where we’re spending their hard-earned money. We’ve also given the manager and his assistant some stability. There have been some hard times during Jim’s reign but we see the potential in him. He loves the club and he’s a great ambassador on and off the park. He’s growing as a young manager all the time.”
Fitzpatrick turned 65 recently, like many over the past year unable to celebrate a landmark birthday with a party with family and friends. His partner Maureen, however, produced the next best thing.
“She went to a lot of trouble to put together a beautiful video with lots of people passing on their good wishes,” he explained. One of them was Bobby Dinnie who’s in his nineties now and who had scouted me for Possil YM all those years ago. He remembered me chapping his door asking for a trial as a 12 year-old, up the top floor of the tenement on Bardowie Street. in Possil. I always remember that. And there was a message from Sir Alex, his brother Martin, and some of my old team-mates including Billy Stark, plus my daughter and other family members. I was quite emotional watching that.”
It is, of course, an age when many decide they’ve had enough of working life but retirement is not in Fitzpatrick’s thoughts for the moment.
Being chief executive of any multi-million pound enterprise is a draining job and there may be a time when he gravitates towards a role less onerous, perhaps one that is more football and less business-centred.
St Mirren, however, are in the midst of a revolution and Fitzpatrick wants to hang around to be a part of it.
The transition to fan ownership under SMISA, the club’s supporters trust, and Paisley charitable institution Kibble will be completed this summer and he is typically enthused to see how it all plays out.
“Retirement is not in my thoughts at the moment, no,” he makes clear. “The dream was always to see St Mirren fan-owned and that’s going to happen. It’s a very busy and demanding job as chief executive but I’m happy to stick at it until I felt the time was right for me to take a step back. I’d give the club plenty of notice if that was the case. But if it wasn’t this role then I’d like to be involved with St Mirren in some other way.
“This year, in particular, has been challenging with all the Covid stuff. Everyone has suffered incredibly through that. And it’s been tough. But there are a lot of great people here who make my job a lot easier.
“I’ve still got the fire in my belly. I’m so privileged to sit here in my office and look out to what is the best view in the world, St Mirren football park.
“I’ve been associated with the club for more than 50 years now but just walking in that front door every morning…. what a feeling that is. I’ll never get tired of that.”
We always say to the young ones ‘play 100 games for St Mirren and then you’ll be ready to go anywhere’